plein

\plɛ̃\

/\plɛ̃\/ adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“plein” has 7 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #468. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#468
frequency rank, French
6,826
“P” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Qui contient tout ce qu’il est capable de contenir ; il est opposé à vide.

Corpus desk

Index FR-plein · plein · French

plein · rank #468 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #468
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,826
  • PHOTO-FINISH peur

Nearest frequency peer: peur (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “plein”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “plein” sits against the nearest ranked French headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

plein vs pli
60% similar
plein vs plis
60% similar
plein vs plie
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for plein
PropertyValue
Headwordplein
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\plɛ̃\
Letters5
Frequency rank#468
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “plein” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).plein lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around plein (IPA \plɛ̃\), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #468 among 6,826 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for plein, with forms such as "lpein", "pelin", and "pleinn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pli", "plis", "plie", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is plein, spelled P-L-E-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui contient tout ce qu’il est capable de contenir ; il est opposé à vide.
  2. 2
    Qui contient une grande quantité.
  3. 3
    Qualifie une femelle en gestation.
  4. 4
    Abondant, rempli.
  5. 5
    Qui est gras, replet, rebondi.
  6. 6
    Entier, complet.
  7. 7
    Entier, complet, absolu.
  8. 8
    Se construit souvent avec la préposition en et sert à former différentes locutions adverbiales de lieu et de temps, qui signifient « au milieu de », mais qui ne servent véritablement qu’à donner plus de force et d’expression à ce qu’on dit.
  9. 9
    Avec les prépositions à et de, il sert à former plusieurs locutions adverbiales qui marquent l’intensité, l’abondance, le haut degré de la chose dont il s’agit.
  10. 10
    Ivre.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how plein appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. La machine à écrire sur la consolette Louis XV, la ronéotype sur le bureau Napoléon III, des paquets de papier partout sur un vestige de tapis de la Savonnerie, et des cendriers pleins de clopes dans tous les coins.
  2. Plein d'arrogance e plein de mal

Synonyms

completgbéremplienceintegrosse

Antonyms

vide

This word in other languages

full(English)lleno(Español)voll(Deutsch)cheio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lpein
  • pelin
  • pleinn
  • pleni
  • plien
  • pllein
  • pplein

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of plein - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

lpein2pelin2pleinn1pleni2plien2pllein1pplein1
Edit distance from "plein"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "plein"?
"plein" is spelled P-L-E-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is \plɛ̃\.
What does "plein" mean?
As an adjective, "plein" means: Qui contient tout ce qu’il est capable de contenir ; il est opposé à vide.
What words are commonly confused with "plein"?
"plein" is commonly confused with "pli", "plis", "plie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "plein"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "plein" is \plɛ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "plein" come from?
"plein" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar French words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "plein", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked French headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

voilà#458jouer#479match#455merde#481

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

parmi7 variantslivre7 variantsforce7 variantsvidéo7 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "plein". Here's where to go from here.

  • "plein" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "pli". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #468 among French headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more French words in the "P" letter cohort. P–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list